Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Herb Coated New York Strips with Home Made Cheese Fries

A true meat and potatoes meal, with a slightly zen twist. Fresh herbs and lemon zest lighten up the heavy meatiness of the New York Strip in this dish. I grew up with mostly dried herbs - I think most people in suburban America did. But as an adult, I have become addicted to the taste of fresh herbs and the liveliness they add to almost anything, including fresh flat leaf parsley which I wouldn't even touch a few years ago.

Since I was roasting the potatoes for quite a while, I did use dried chives so they wouldn't burn, but you could snip over some fresh after they've had their cheese bath.

Herb Coated New York StripsServes 2

quick note - these are great on an outdoor grill but in the winter work well indoors on a grill pan over the stove

In a small bowl, mix your minced herbs with the lemon zest and olive oil. Place your steak on a small, foil lined baking sheet and spread the herb mixture over, coating every nook and cranny of the steak including both sides. Let rest for 10 minutes.

Oil your grill grates with peanut oil if outside, or spray an indoor grill pan with nonstick spray if cooking indoors. Turn grill onto medium high heat, or your stove top to medium high letting the pan get nice and hot.

Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper, and grill about 8 minutes per side, lowering heat to medium after the first few minutes (always takes a bit longer on an indoor grill pan for me - closer to 11 each side for medium well.) Remove and let rest for ten minutes before splitting with a loved one.

Home Made Cheese FriesServes 2 plus second helpings.

2 small Russet Potatoes, washed, dried and cut into wedges3-4 tablespoons olive oil - enough to give all the wedges a good coating as well as the bottom of your panSea salt and pepper, for seasoning2 teaspoons dried chives1/2 cup shredded white or regular sharp cheddar1 teaspoon fresh or dried chives for garnishing

Preheat your oven to 400. Add your potato wedges to your largest rimmed baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Douse them in the olive oil - you want to make sure they're all coated in it, but not swimming. Space them out on the pan so that they each have their own breathing room - at least 3/4 of an inch from one another - or they won't crisp. There should be some extra oil on the bottom of the pan but not a swimming pool. Sprinkle over the 2 teaspoons of dried chives and put in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet and check one of the bottoms of the wedges to see if it's turned golden brown. If it has, carefully flip all of them over, rotate the sheet, and put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes lowering the oven to 375. If it's not golden yet - put it back in for another 5 or so minutes, until they cooperate, before proceeding with the flipping. You will know when the potatoes are ready - or better yet if you don't taste one. If they're not that perfect crunchy on the outside and soft as cake on the inside then keep baking them. The thing with potatoes is, you can't rush them. Sadly, they call the shots.

Once they're cooked and golden, remove them from the oven and place a nice handful into oven proof bowls. Top with your shredded cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Carefully remove and top with extra chives (you could also sprinkle over some cooked bacon if you feel like celebrating.)

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Somewhere between the Foie Gras Connosieur and the T Bone Steak Bubba lies me - the Meat and Potatoes Foodie. The only thing I can't stand more than a food snob is someone who won't try something they've never eaten before (within limits of course - I'm still too chicken to try frog legs.) Pull up a chair, have a look around, and leave a comment or two. I love hearing from fellow foodies and friends!